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Having secured six victories out of six, an unbreached defense and a World Cup spot assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel can argue he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Yet, in the lead-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he claimed that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the same team.

"At the moment, if we keep the structure, they won't fit together.

"They can but not with current tactics, not for the balance that we created and not in this formation that also includes wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

Foden and Bellingham have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his primary selections on the wide areas respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven fixtures at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 matches the stars have performed together, England have won 10, shared points three times and suffered three losses, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that changes shape when England attack.

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, ball-striking and capacity to penetrate the area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars play out wide weekly and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and one with more license to join the forward movement.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could play as the central striker, which theoretically could permit both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is one way all three could feature together and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"For Man City, he functions as a central or attacking midfielder, so maybe during the next months we regard him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been deployed in a versatile central position this season.

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could position him as the number eight, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the creative force and Kane as the striker.

Regardless of if Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his preparedness to omit established stars in the interest of team harmony.